[AU] Maybe it was chance that L stumbled upon a nearly dead, unconscious mass murderer. Maybe it was chance that the murderer lost his memories. Or maybe it was just fate. But blood and chocolate were never meant to mix... LxLight Better summary inside.

-Excited- Guess what?
It's 2008! I'm one more year closer to graduating school, people!
Irk—but I also have midterms in a few days… Curses… (--Note
that I said I had midterms. Does that clue you in as to how long ago
I STARTED this chapter? Sorry, guys. I try.)

Happy Valentine's
Day!

Disclaimer: If I
owned it, there would be man smex every three pages. …I suppose
that would also mean there would be no plot… but we can sacrifice
that for MAN SMEX!

xD

"Well, I used to
stand for somethingBut forgot what that could beThere's a
lot of me inside you maybe you're afraid to see

Well, I used to
stand for somethingNow I'm on my hands and kneesTraded in
my god for this war"

--"Capital G,"
Nine Inch Nails

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chapter
Three: Too Much Perfume

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Light nuzzled a little
deeper into the fabric of the pillows that Ryuuzaki had tied on the
bed, inhaling slightly--a small voice in the back of his head
insisting he wasn't smelling them, he was merely breathing
whilst simultaneously enjoying the scent. He let out his breath
slowly before turning his head to glance at the clock.

Nine-fifty-six AM.

During the three days
he had previously been there, he had learned that almost everything
was on a schedule--besides most things having to do with Ryuuzaki,
but that didn't come as any surprise to Light. Seriously. No
surprise at all.

Watari, however, seemed
to be a habitual person. At exactly ten o'clock every
morning, he came in, changed Light's bandages, gave him his meal,
and asked if there was anything he needed. At one-thirty, Watari
would return with lunch and cart away the remains of breakfast,
offering a kind word of some sort. Dinner was at six sharp and always
consisted of an appetizer, entrée, soup, and extra-sweet dessert.
Despite the fact that Light always left the sweets untouched and even
suggested that Watari stop bringing them, he still found himself
staring into some cake with three inches of icing every night.

But even with that,
Light found himself growing slightly fond of the older man. Despite
their… pleasant first meeting, Light found that Watari was
rather interesting. He could even host a semi-interesting
conversation.

That was one thing that
he always hated. Whenever a normal person tried to talk to
him, it was about stupid, boring, trivial things like gossip. Light
hated gossip. Even more than sweets.

The door creaked as it
opened and the brunet turned to see Watari enter, tray in hands and a
roll of bandages tucked under one arm. Once he had reached Light's
bedside, he placed the tray on the nightstand and turned to face the
boy. Automatically, Light pulled off his shirt, revealing his
bandaged torso.

Watari went through the
usual morning routine, helping Light remove the old bandages before
unrolling the new strip and starting to work on the rewrapping
process.

"So, pretty soon
you'll be good as new," Watari commented as he continued working.
Light didn't answer, his eyes settling on the wall.

True, his injuries were
healing up very nicely. His sprained ligaments were as good as they
were going to get and his other wounds had closed up. Soon enough, he
could leave for home. Though that still roused the question that
Light was nearly killing himself over: Was Ryuuzaki just going to let
him go? He was a paranoid figure, so somehow Light highly doubted
that. There was the possibility that Ryuuzaki could drug him and then
abandon him in the city. But for some reason, he doubted that
prediction as well, which left him to mull over the other
possibilities.

"How does your lower
back feel?"

Light broke from his
musings to turn his attention back to Watari, who was examining his
spine like it was the most intricate working the older man had ever
seen. "It feels tense, but other than that it's fine," he duly
replied.

Watari nodded before
letting his fingers fall to the smooth skin of Light's back,
tracing down the valley of his spine lightly. When he was satisfied
that Light hadn't gone out and caught scoliosis overnight or
something, he pulled his hand away and nodded. "You're lucky to
have not sustained any internal damaging, but it is possible that you
did something to your muscles. Though I'm almost a hundred percent
sure there's nothing else wrong with you, I decided to cater to
Ryuuzaki's paranoia."

Light wasn't sure if
he was more interested in the fact that Watari was starting to speak
like Ryuuzaki--who had an obsession, it seemed, with talking in
percentages--or the fact that the insomniac was concerned with his
well being. After a pause, he shook himself and opted for the former.
He didn't care what Ryuuzaki thought of him. Really, he didn't.

"I didn't know he
cared," Light dryly commented.

Watari didn't reply,
but instead continued his work of tying off the bandage around his
midsection--though, admittedly, the wrappings did get a little
tighter, making it slightly harder to breathe.

Watari finished in
silence before bidding him a farewell and leaving him to enjoy his
breakfast. Light looked over to the meal and gave a mental sigh of
relief when he saw that--even though it was crêpes--they weren't
drenched in sweet sugar.

He took a hesitant bite
and swallowed when he deemed it officially edible before reaching
down to pick up the laptop from its place on the floor. Nibbling on
his breakfast--half of it poking out of his mouth--Light pushed the
power button and waited--slightly impatiently--as it came to life.
When it had finally loaded, he wasted no time in continuing his work
with the CD Ryuuzaki had given him. His eyes had barely scanned over
some of the files for a second before he had to resist the urge to
sigh and roll his eyes.

'If a video game
suddenly went missing and someone was seen by three eyewitnesses
walking out with the edge of something black poking from under his
shirt, who do you think took it?' he sarcastically
quipped to himself. He had gone through the grand total of two cases
that looked even a fraction of a fraction interesting and all
he was left with were stupid things like a video game.

Deciding it wasn't
worth it, he closed the window before leaning back on the bed. He was
once again going to have a boring day.

Ode to joy.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

To be honest, he had
always thought that the comparison made between a throbbing headache
and having a hammer beating on the back of one's skull was
overdramatic and unrealistic. Now, however, L could understand where
the figure of speech had come from. There was an almost pulsating
pain in the back of his head and he was starting to wish he had some
Advil or something handy.

"Yes, Yagami-san,"
L interrupted the older man. "Yagami Raito is safe. He had some
serious injuries, but he's fine now--"

"Though I must say,
he has quite a bright mind," L interrupted, tone thoughtful as he
successfully changed the subject.

Soichiro paused for a
second as the words sank in. "Yes, he is very intelligent."
Pure pride oozed thickly from his words. There was a pause and L
could tell that Soichiro wasn't done yet. And, indeed, a few
moments later, he spoke up again. "Is there any way--?" He cut
himself off before beginning again, this time sounded confident as he
said, "I wish to see my son."

"I'm sorry
Yagami-san. At this time, I'm afraid that's impossible--" L had
barely managed to say the last syllable of impossible when
Soichiro barked his response:

"What do you mean
'impossible'? Why am I not permitted to see my son? Are you
keeping him from me? Rest assured, Ryuuzaki-san, that if you are,
I'll have you regretting it with every inch of your life--whether
or not you are currently important to the police force."

Had L been anyone else,
he would've rolled his eyes at Soichiro's words. "I'm not
keeping him from you, Yagami-san. But I do have our safety to look
after. It would be dangerous for you two to meet right now. I can't
reveal my location. The safest thing to do would be to wait until
he's out of my care to see him."

"But he's my son.
How can you deny me--?"

"I assure you,
Yagami-san. You will be able to see him soon. In fact,
tomorrow I can call you with more details."

Soichiro hesitated
before slowly asking, "So there is a way for me to see him?"

"I'm not giving a
definite yes or no, but there is a chance if I decide to act," L
explained, bringing his thumb up to his mouth.

"Act on what?"
Soichiro inquired, his tone going back to professional. "Are you
referring to Kira?"

"Kira has been
dormant for a week now. It's a cause for concern on my part. I'm
still not sure if it's part of a plan he has or if he's injured."
L paused for a second before continuing, "Due to the fact that I
can usually predict Kira's moves or at least understand why he made
them, I admit I can't understand why he would just suddenly stop…
My only guess is that he's injured or something of the like. I
think I have a way to counteract."

"Counteract?"
Soichiro repeated, sounding like the word was a foreign one to him.
"If he hasn't done anything, how can you counteract?"

L continued to chew on
his thumb for a few seconds before a small grin slowly spread across
his lips. "This brings me to my next question. Just how great of a
detective is your son?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Light was nearly ready
to throw something across the room, just for the sake of something to
do. Of course, he would never really do anything of the sort. He was
a proud man, and wouldn't stoop so low just for some sort of
entertainment--despite how tempting the opportunity may be.

He had checked his
emails earlier and hadn't received anything. But that was about two
hours ago. Hoping with all hope that he had something to read
and maybe even reply to, he opened the laptop for the ninth time that
morning, took his time typing in the address for his messaging system
before entering his email address and password. He waited patiently
for the screen to load before his eyes hungrily took in the screen.
He was ready to throw the 'hand-held bundle of fun' (1) against
the wall when he saw that he had no new mail and still had
nothing to do.

Of course, he would
never do such a thing. But at the moment, he could almost hear the
crunch of the electronic components breaking.

"Is there something
on my wall?" a new voice asked. Light slowly turned to face the
newcomer.

"No, not really,"
he informed Ryuuzaki dryly.

Ryuuzaki slowly blinked
in surprise before his thumb found his mouth--subconsciously, Light
was ready to chop the finger off or something; Ryuuzaki's habit of
chewing on it was getting old--before making his way to a chair and
taking a seat in it. His rear end had barely made contact with the
cushion before his legs were pulled up so the soles of his feet were
flat out on the chair.

"You were staring at
the wall like it would reveal some secret of life… or something,"
Ryuuzaki said, encouraging Light to shed some light on it.

"Maybe it would,"
Light commented off-handedly. "How about you join me and we find
out?"

"Ah, sarcasm duly
noted."

Light scowled up at the
ceiling in thought. "So, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Am I not allowed to
come and go through my room as I please?"

The brunet sighed
lightly. "I suppose so," he murmured. "But it's unlike you to
come for a visit without some reason behind it."

"Do you not enjoy my
presence?" Ryuuzaki's head tilted slightly as he regarded the
younger boy.

"It's not that. I
suppose I do enjoy your presence. You're never a bore to talk to.
And I… sorta have nothing to do anymore…" He grumbled the last
part, not really wanting to admit out loud that he was bored and
wanted something--just about anything--to do.

Ryuuzaki paused for a
second, his thumb falling from his mouth as he stared at Light. "Have
you completed everything I gave you, then?"

Light shrugged before
replying. "I did most of them… A few weren't even worth the
effort. Just by glancing at them, I could pretty much solve them. But
now I have nothing to do."

Light glanced over at
Ryuuzaki, knowing he would get the hint. What he wasn't sure of was
whether or not he would take it and offer something else for him to
do. Ryuuzaki, however, remained silent, his face giving no hints as
to what he was thinking. A long silence formed and Light was starting
to think that Ryuuzaki had no intention of breaking it when he
finally spoke.

"What do you know of
Kira?"

Light mentally growled
in slight frustration. That was not what he had been hoping
Ryuuzaki would answer with. But… at least having an in-depth
conversation with the detective would keep him occupied for a while.

"He's a serial
killer. I suppose 'killer' is the wrong term. I've heard that
he kills his victims without even touching them. All of his victims
succumb to heart attacks. He's apparently a genius--definitely the
most intelligent criminal to date. He's made himself a
self-acclaimed god in the eyes of many, and that seems to be just
what he wants."

"Is he?"

Light looked over at
Ryuuzaki, not sure what he was talking about. "Is he what?"

"Is he a god?"
Ryuuzaki clarified.

"It's all a matter
of opinion," Light automatically answered. "Everything is a
matter of opinion, if you think about it. People are what make
something or someone a god. If you believe in it, then it can be
classified as a god, but to those who don't believe, to them it
can't be classified as such."

"So then do you
believe Kira to be a god?"

"No." He definitely
did not.

Ryuuzaki let a few
seconds pass, absorbing the new information before continuing. "So
then, do you believe Kira should be captured for the criminal he is
and punished as such?"

"Yes. Of course I do.
He's killed many innocent people. Any person could see that's he
insane." To Light, Kira was just another criminal. Criminals were
to be captured and placed in jail to receive their judgment. That was
how it worked when one sinned.

"So then, if you
received the chance to help in the mission to capture Kira, what
would you say?" the detective slowly asked.

Light's golden-brown
eyes flicked over to the older man for a second before a small
smile-smirk--it was a crossover of the two, something only Light
could do, it seemed--bloomed across his features. "You're working
on the Kira case." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Ryuuzaki
replied easily.

"And you want me to
help you out."

"In a word, yes. You
could be a huge asset to this case. If we work together, I know we
could be the best team Japan's ever seen. Kira wouldn't be able
to outsmart both of us."

"I knew there was
another reason behind why you came in here for a visit," was all
Light said in reply. He laid himself out flat on the bed and tucked
his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Does that mean you'd
accept?"

"Of course. Working
on a case like the Kira case is something that would present a
challenge. A real challenge."

"He's seemingly
disappeared," Ryuuzaki informed Light.

Light glanced over to
Ryuuzaki again. "What do you mean by 'disappeared'?" he
questioned, frowning.

"Exactly what I said;
he hasn't killed anyone in seven days and it's a cause for
concern. Nobody knows what he's planning--if, indeed, he's
planning anything at all."

"He could be
temporarily out of commission," Light mused out loud.

"Exactly," Ryuuzaki
agreed. "And that's what we need to find out."

"How do you propose
we go about that? Is there any way we could tempt him to come out?"

Ryuuzaki remained
unmoved for a long second and then he brightened. "Oh, yes. I
called your father earlier today. He seemed very adamant about seeing
you. I take it he's always like that?"

"Yes. But I'm
guessing you turned him down on the subject of seeing me." It was a
statement, not a question.

"Did I say that?"
It was a question, not an answer.

Light decided he didn't
feel like having a verbal battle just to find out whether or not his
father was coming for a visit. To him, it was fairly obvious that
Ryuuzaki had quite a case of paranoia and wouldn't allow anyone
else into his home. It had been a fluke with Light. And Light was
fairly sure the detective would take extra measures to make sure
nothing of the sort would ever happen again.

"Anyway, my legs are
getting cramped from being confined to this room," Light informed
Ryuuzaki, dropping a hint the detective most definitely was not going
to miss.

"That is most
unfortunate," was the only response from the detective.

But it was once again
all a matter on whether or not Ryuuzaki would take the
gods-forsaken hint. "It's really not healthy for me to do nothing
than lie in bed all day," Light said, trying again.

"In that case, I
would suggest you walk around the room. This is, after all, the
master bedroom. It's fairly large and would be more than enough
room for you to stretch your legs."

Light's patience
thinned slightly. He wasn't going to stoop so low as to beg,
but he would persist, if need be. "Ah, yes. I could do that.
But it's also my mind that wants out of this room. And just walking
around in it wouldn't do anything for me psychologically, now would
it?"

Ryuuzaki's eyes
narrowed slightly--very, very slightly--in thought as he apparently
contemplated something. Light was half expecting him to change the
subject again when he decided to speak once more.

"Actually, I don't
think it would hurt anything at this point for you to 'stretch your
legs.' In fact, I could go with you and explain some things."

For a second, Light
wasn't quite sure whether or not Ryuuzaki was sincere or not. The
older man hadn't showed any sign of sincerity, at least--but, then
again, he never really seemed to show signs of anything with
his apathetic expressions.

It was when Ryuuzaki
slipped off the chair and made his way to the door, opening it and
turning to face Light, that the brunet got the feeling that Ryuuzaki
had been quite serious. All doubts were dispelled when he spoke.
"Shall we go, then?"

Light literally rolled
off the mattress in an unceremonious manner. However, to make up for
his less-than-graceful fall, he landed lightly on his feet in an
almost elegant movement. He then straightened before heading over to
the door. Once they were out of the room, Ryuuzaki took his place at
Light's side as they traveled through the hall.

It was a second nature
to Light to take in every possible detail about his surroundings and
as such, as the two traversed through the corridor, he found his eyes
flicking back and forth from the walls. There wasn't much to take
in, which wasn't a great surprise to Light. He supposed the
Ryuuzaki took extra measures to have nothing in his home that could
link him to his identity. He was sure that the name Ryuuzaki
was a pseudonym, but it didn't really bother him. A lot of
detectives used nicknames nowadays.

Mostly, the hallway was
empty. The walls were a light, cream color with no pictures,
paintings, or any other hanging decoration. At least, currently. Upon
closer inspection, Light could see nails still sticking out of the
plaster where something had to have been hanging at some
point. He frowned and debated on commenting on it. Ryuuzaki beat him
to it.

"I had a few Picasso
and traditional pieces up. Nothing of your concern. They were merely
taken down for the packing." Absently, Ryuuzaki blew a raven lock
that was tickling his eyebrow. He looked blankly at it before trying
to blow it away again.

"It would work better
if you actually used your hand," Light idly commented before
continuing. "What do you mean they were 'taken down for the
packing'?"

Ryuuzaki let out
another short, sharp breath upward. The stubborn piece of hair
floated back down to his face and finally, Ryuuzaki lifted a hand to
meticulously pinch the raven lock between his forefinger and thumb,
examining it thoroughly.

"Ryuuzaki… it's
your hair. It won't hurt you," Light assured. He was unsure as to
whether he should be amused with the detective's behavior or
exasperated.

"Ah, Yagami-kun, of
course it is," the older man replied. "Hair is merely an
inanimate object that is made up of dead skin cells."

Light resisted the urge
to thwack him or anything along that train of thought. He decided not
replying at all was the best option for this situation. And so, they
exited the hall in silence. The room they entered must have been the
family room or something--or would've been the family room if
Ryuuzaki had a family living with him. Light figured Ryuuzaki
wouldn't have any unnecessary appliances--probably a couch, table
and TV. Nothing fancy.

So, when the only thing
in the room to be seen were two hardwood chairs over in the corner,
he had to admit he was slightly taken aback. The room was bare. Like
in the hall, there was nothing on the walls save for a couple
scattered nails, but even those were few and far between.

He supposed his
expression must've reflected how he felt because Ryuuzaki was soon
explaining the state of the room. "I've asked Watari to pack it
for me. I've been busy with the Kira case."

"Yes, you mentioned
that you packed away the works you apparently had on your walls,"
Light slowly said. "Any particular reason why you're tucking
everything away?"

"Ah, yes," Ryuuzaki
replied, tone light-hearted, like he was conversing on the
delectableness of some muffins over tea. "We are all moving."

" 'We all'?"
Light echoed, not sure what he meant by that.

"Yes," the
detective affirmed. "Watari, you, and I shall be moving tonight."

"And how do you plan
on going about this? I thought you didn't trust anyone to know
where you lived."

"I don't. I know
you have questions, but save them for after the explanation, ne?"
He didn't wait for Light to respond before continuing. "Watari is
going to move my things to another one of my homes. This one is out
of the country, so I won't have to worry about you finding out
anything about me. You and I, in the meantime, will take up residence
in a hotel farther in the city. Every two days, we'll rotate hotels
for safety purposes as we work on this case. As well as you and me,
your father is helping me work on this, and also his team."

Light slowly exhaled.
"But I will still be leaving this house that you previously owned,
correct?"

"Ah, yes. I forgot to
go into the details about your part in the move itself. Tonight with
your dinner, you will receive a cup of tea. Watari will add a few
chemicals to it that will make you pass out. When you wake up, it'll
be tomorrow and you'll find yourself in the hotel."

"So, you are still
paranoid about your identity being found out," Light murmured, more
to himself than anything. "And why a liquid sedation, if I may
ask?"

Ryuuzaki shrugged, his
thumb finding his mouth. "It was either that or sleeping gas. The
gas would leave a bad taste in your mouth."

Light's eyes narrowed
slightly as he continued to regard the other man. "Do I have to be
put under? I mean, if you're going to move, it shouldn't really
matter anymore--"

"It matters," the
other calmly cut in. "And you know that."

Yes, he knew that it
could matter. But the thought of someone like him being forced
to--Light cut off his thoughts with a blink. 'Someone like him'?
Sure, Light was a genius, but he wasn't a god or anything
along those lines. Sighing in resignation, his eyes flicked away from
the detective as he replied, "Fine, I guess."

"Until I wake up and
find myself in some strange place," Light grumbled in response.
"That's why you're letting me out of the bedroom, isn't it?
We'll be gone by tomorrow, so as long as you're with me to act as
chaperone, I can explore a little bit."

"I'm not going to
deny that part of that is truth. But your excursion must now come to
an end. We'll go back to the room." With that, Ryuuzaki turned
and headed back into the hallway. Light felt slight disappointment
for some reason at not being able to stay out of the stupid room
longer, but decided it wasn't worth fighting over, as much as he
would like to protest. He was basically a prisoner currently due to
lack of trust. Well, not really lack of trust but more paranoia.

When the bedroom door
was shut behind him, he definitely felt like sighing. The lock
clicked into place, safely securing him in the room. The noise almost
seemed to echo, like it was trying to tell him something.

Light snorted at his
thoughts--the isolation was getting to his mind--before laying down
flat on his back on the bed. Faintly, an almost unique scent entered
his nose and he resisted the urge to glare at the gods-forsaken
pillows.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Light felt like he was
preparing himself for a death sentence. Truly, he did. When Watari
came in that night and told him to drink the cup of jasmine tea last
--unless he felt like passing out and doing a face plant into his
meal-- he was ready to dump the tea out and say to screw it all.
However, Ryuuzaki had enough foresight to have Watari patiently wait
with Light until he had finished his meal and downed the cursed tea.

Seriously, Light was
really starting to feel like an inmate in a prison. He made sure to
slowly eat his dinner, relishing in his last moments before he lost
consciousness. But like life, the slower he tried to move, the faster
time seemed to slip by and soon enough, he found himself staring at
an empty plate.

Watari placed the cup
of tea before him and Light resisted the urge to glare at the
offending cup of liquid.

"You won't be able
to tell it's drugged," Watari assured upon seeing his hesitation.

Light wasn't so sure
about that as he slowly lifted the cup towards his lips. The rim came
into contact with his mouth and he once again momentarily wondered if
this was how a criminal collared with capital punishment felt before
facing their death.

It was at that point
that he mentally kicked himself in the head for his stupidity before
chugging the whole thing in one swing. He pulled it from his lips
with a small smack. He willingly handed the empty cup over to Watari.

"It should take
effect soon enough. I'll stay with you until it does," the elder
man informed him, neatly placing the cup on Light's dinner tray.

Light scowled. "You'll
stay with me until it does?" he repeated. "Just how long--?"

He didn't remember
anything after that point.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The sunshine was
bright, causing him to see red against the back of his eyelids. He
slowly opened them only to shut them again when his corneas felt as
though they were being burned alive from the bright rays from the sun
that was shining in from the nearby window. Light estimated that it
was somewhere in the mid-afternoon, maybe around three or four. He
also guessed that the gentle throbbing of his head and the slight
dizziness he felt were most likely some side effect of the drug.

Light decided he didn't
feel like hunting around for some sort of pain reliever, so instead
he opted to relax and wait for sleep to take him again, which it did.

The next time the
brunet opened his eyes, the shadow from his bed was stretched the
whole way across the expanse of his room and was starting to climb up
the wall on the other side. Wincing slightly at a crick in his neck
from sleeping on the muscle wrong, he sat up and started to examine
his surroundings.

Just as Ryuuzaki had
told him, he was in a hotel room, definitely. The stiff mattress and
thin quilt was a dead giveaway. While the bedroom was a nice size, it
wasn't as extravagant as Ryuuzaki's room at his old house. There
were a few traditional paintings adorning the wall and overall, the
decorations were fairly simply--very nondescript. Though there was a
bathroom directly attached to the bedroom. That was nice.

Speaking of bathrooms,
Light felt a need to shower. For some reason, being contained to a
room seemed to make one feel dirty. A shower was the least he
deserved for allowing Ryuuzaki to drug him anyway. So, he fished
around the room for a while until he found a suitable change of
clothes.

The shower was, indeed,
refreshing. It felt nice to clean away any filth on his body and the
warm water did wonders for his aching neck. When he finally stepped
out of the bathroom--clad in boxers and jeans, his shirt folded
neatly over his arm and his towel wrapped around his neck--he was
proud to say he did not have heart failure when the first
thing he saw was Ryuuzaki's face barely six inches away from his.
He did take a step backward in surprise, but that was about it.

A little abashed at
being caught off guard, Light narrowed his eyes slightly in disdain
at the other man. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was coming to talk
to you about some things."

Light looked over at
his shoulder for a second before his gaze returned to Ryuuzaki. He
raised a brow. "What? Did you plan on getting in the shower with me
or something?" he asked snidely.

The older man stopped
chewing on his finger as he regarded Light. "Is that what
Yagami-kun wished for me to do?" His tone was deprived of any
emotion, but the comment was still enough to make Light want to
throttle him.

Instead, he lifted one
hand so he could rub his temples. "What did you want?"

"Ah, yes. Please sit
down, Yagami-kun. We have several things to discuss." Ryuuzaki then
turned and took a seat in the blue armchair that was near the bed.
Light really didn't want to indulge the older man so much as to
listen to him, but he knew that they did need to talk some things
out. So, albeit reluctantly, he found himself heading towards the
hard bed and sitting down on it, turning so he was facing Ryuuzaki.
Though he was mildly displeased with the man, he still had manners
and couldn't ignore the part of him that insisted he show at least
some common courtesy.

"So," he began, his
arms folding on his lap as he got comfortable, "what did you wish
to discuss?"

"There are many
things we need to review and go over, but first, I must tell you that
your father wishes to see you. I have arranged it so that tomorrow he
will come to see you for lunch. I take it you don't have any
protest to this?" He paused and watched Light shrug.

"I guess not. I don't
mind him coming and it's not like right now I have anything else to
do in my free time."

"Ah, but soon enough
you won't have too much free time when you start working on the
case. I'm not sure how much free time you'll have then or how
often your father will be able to make his comfort visitations. But
there is a chance that we'll be working closely with him and his
team on this. So, there is a chance that you'll see him
almost daily. However, I believe you should see him before just as a
precaution. I also need to tell him in person about an adjustment
that needs to be made."

Light nodded as he
moved the towel to dry his hair before slipping into his shirt. "That
makes sense."

Ryuuzaki continued. "As
I briefly informed you before, we will be moving from hotels every
other day as not to be found by Kira. I have Watari plant cameras in
every room, though, so don't think that you can do something
without being seen."

"I'm not sure why
you would think you would require cameras to watch me."

"I think you can
guess."

"Yes, I can make an
educated guess. Your paranoid and you don't fully trust me."

Ryuuzaki gave a small
sigh. "I would like to trust you, Yagami-kun, but with things as
they are…" He drifted off.

"Yes, I know,"
Light said dismissively. "Please just continue."

"Ah, yes." Ryuuzaki
reached into his pocket and pulled two objects out. "First off--you
are familiar with how Kira kills his victims, are you not?"

"Of course I am. He
uses heart attacks. What has everyone baffled is how he kills them
without even touching or going near them. He needs to know their name
and what they look like to kill them apparently." Light gave him a
look that asked him to clarify why that was so important.

Ryuuzaki nodded.
"Precisely. He needs their name and what they look like. If he
lacks one of these sources, he cannot kill them. That is why from now
on you are Kenjiro Amagawa." Ryuuzaki held out Light's wallet and
Light took it before flipping it open. Inside was a new--false--ID
complete with his picture and the name Amagawa Kenjiro below
that. "If, by chance, someone finds this ID, your real name won't
get out. It's much safer."

Light nodded in
agreement before pocketing his wallet. "That seems to be the
smartest thing to do in these circumstances."

"And lastly, put this
watch on." Ryuuzaki held out the device and Light took it. He
examined it for a second before wrapping it around his wrist and
fastening it.

"What does this do?"

"It has a locater in
it. If you disappear for some reason, I'll be able to find you with
no problem."

"It's another
factor of trust, then."

Ryuuzaki shook his
head. "Not specifically. If you go out and don't come back, it
could be possible that Kira killed you or something happened. The
locater in the watch will help us to find you. Also, it can be used
as a short-distance radio."

" 'If I go out and
don't come back'?" Light repeated to himself. "If I'm stuck
in the hotel, how can I possibly get lost?"

The other man stared at
him for a short moment before answering. "Why would I limit you to
the hotel, Amagawa-kun?" he asked, making sure to use Light's
pseudonym. "You're free to leave if you wish. I have nothing to
hide here."

"So, then… I can
go outside?" Light inquired hesitantly, like just asking was enough
to make the detective change his mind.

"I do not lie,
Amagawa-kun. Of course you can."

Ryuuzaki continued to
regard Light. Light thought about that for a second before standing
up. "I take it we're done talking, then."

"Yes," Ryuuzaki
agreed. "We are."

"Very well. Then I'm
going to go out while the night is still young," Light informed his
companion as he slipped on a pair of socks.

"I would suggest you
wait, though," Ryuuzaki murmured around his thumb. "The weather
was calling for rain tonight."

"I really don't
care if we were about to experience a meteor shower," Light
retorted. "I've been inside for several days and right now,
getting caught in the rain sounds refreshing."

"Then perhaps you
should just take an umbrella with you?" Ryuuzaki called at him as
he opened the bedroom door.

"I actually won't
be out that long," Light assured, "so I don't see any reason in
carrying one around for no reason."

He shut the bedroom
door behind him as he left. It took him a few minutes to maneuver
through the hotel room to the door, but eventually, he managed it and
pulled on his shoes.

It took the elevator
over a minute to finally come up to the twenty-second floor, where he
was. And for some reason, waiting a minute was too long. So when he
stepped into the elevator, he jabbed the button for the main floor
impatiently and wondered why it took a full ten seconds for the doors
to close.

It took Light a while
to meander his way to the main entrance once he exited the elevator.
But eventually, he found the exit he was looking for. He started off
in the direction of it when someone called out to him.

"Oi! You there!"

At first Light wasn't
sure who the person--it was a woman--was trying to grab the attention
of. It was when that woman grabbed his wrist from behind him and
tugged that he knew she wanted to talk to him.

And despite the fact
that he was itching to walk through the doors that were less than
thirty feet in front of him--the damn things were teasing him, he was
sure--he tilted his head so he was looking in the general direction
of the woman and replied. "How can I help you?"

She was
youngish--probably a year or so younger than Light himself--and,
admittedly, she was rather pretty. She grinned up at him and,
releasing his wrist, used the same hand to flick a long lock of her
hair away from her face. "I just wanted to ask you something,"
she replied, grinning. "I'm Moe, by the way; Moe Rikyo. (2) But
feel free to just address me as Moe."

Light continued to
stare at the Moe-figure. "Is there something you need?" he asked
bluntly. "I'm sorta in a rush."

"That's okay,"
Moe assured him, her grin widening. "I actually work here and when
I saw you, I wanted to know something."

Already this
conversation was incredibly boring to Light. He gave her a look that
told her to get on with it and she hooked both of her wrists around
one of his arms, leaning into him slightly.

He actually liked
this shirt--it was one that Watari had bought for him--and he
really didn't want her to soil it with her overly-strong perfume.
As he tried to slip out of her grasp, her hold became stronger and he
realized he had no hope of escaping until she deemed it so unless he
used physical force. And he wouldn't do that--there were
eye-witnesses around.

So instead he patiently
waited for her to explain her purpose.

Moe let out a small
laugh as she pulled herself closer to Light. "You act like this is
the first time anyone's taken an interest in you that way."
Her emphasis on that way very clearly made her intentions
known. While Light had plenty of women take in an interest in him
'that way,' he never in his life ever found himself interested in
those women 'that way.' And most certainly not women like this
Moe person--women like her were annoying.

She pushed herself up
on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his ear. "I go on my dinner
break in a little under ten minutes. And it's easy for me to borrow
a room from this hotel since I work here."

Light flicked his
golden-brown eyes in her direction. "I'm sorry. I'm in a rush.
I'll be on my way now."

Moe stepped back,
pouting. "Surely you don't mean that?" she asked in what she
presumed was a very enticing and seductive voice.

"I do," he assured
her as he finally managed to work his arm loose. "I bid you a
farewell--and I suggest you wipe off some of your perfume. It's
very strong." Without saying anything else, he turned and
continued to the doors. He didn't turn around when she called for
him to wait. Instead, he pressed his palms against the bar on the
door and pushed it open. Warm, muggy air immediately rushed at him
and he relished in the feeling before turning in whatever direction
he fancied and walked aimlessly, just enjoying the feeling of moving.

Light could tell
immediately that they hadn't left Tokyo. In fact, if he hailed a
taxi--and if he had money to pay for it--he could drive to his house
quite easily. He had never really taken a huge delight in anything
about the city. In fact, a lot of the time he merely ignored his
surroundings since he deemed it not worthy of his time. However,
after several days of what could be called solitary confinement, he
found he quite missed the sights and sounds of the busy city-life.

The streets were
crowded with what he guessed were people hurrying home from their
afternoon job. He was repeatedly shoved and bumped, but currently, he
couldn't find it in himself to really care. He passed some
electronic store with several TVs on display in the front window,
each one turned on and channeled to the same news program. He stopped
briefly to listen. After a few short reports on some fatal accidents
and a murder, the anchor shifted and started a report on Kira.

"As you may know,
it appears that the murderer known as Kira has been lying low for the
past week. There have only been thirteen cases of a cardiac arrest in
the past seven days and every one of those cases has been classified
as completely natural. There are mixed feelings on this in the
public. Some are relieved and hoping that this self-acclaimed god
will stay gone, while others are nervous, saying that Kira has
something dreadful planned. However, this morning, our office
received a letter that was signed Kira. While the letter was
short, it has definitely caused some excitement on our part.

"Can we get it on
air?" The anchor pulled his mike to his ear as he awaited a
reply. Finally he nodded and turned his attention back to the camera
to say, "It's currently on your screen. Feel free to read it."
As he spoke, a letter filled the small TV screen. There were two
creases in it from where it had been previously folded to most likely
fit in an envelope. Light raised a brow before reading it. The
message was easy to read.

Citizens,

Please note that I
am not gone from this world. I have yet to finish my purification.
There is still a lot of trash to take out, so to speak. Expect me to
be back with a vengeance very soon. And when that happens, criminals,
be prepared for your death. I must say, the condition of our world is
something that sickens me. The sinners must be dealt with.

And I implore you to
answer this question: have I really done this world wrong by ridding
this world of its filth? Even those ignorant of my existence have
surely noticed that the crime rate has dropped significantly since I
came into being.

This is merely
something for you to ponder on. I will be back. I assure you.

Kira.

Light's eyes narrowed
slightly as he took in the letter. That didn't sound like the Kira
he had come to know at all.

The letter faded and
the anchor filled the screen once again. "What you have just
read was received today around two o'clock this afternoon. But we
are still left to wonder just what happened to Kira to cause this
pause in his killing. This afternoon--"

But Light never heard
what had happened that afternoon. Instead, he felt something slam
into his side and thin arms wrap around his neck. And then he heard
the screech.

"Raito-kuuun! Oh,
Raito-kun!"

Light looked down to
see a girl. Almost immediately after taking her in--she was,
apparently, a goth of some sort--he almost keeled over from the
strong wave of perfume that assaulted his nose. Instead of doing
something unbecoming--though the urge to cover his nose was great--he
merely tried to breathe through his mouth. Before he had a chance to
address the girl, she looked up to Light and gave a huge smile. For
some reason, she looked familiar and it irked him that he couldn't
recall her name or how they were acquainted.

"Raito-kun!" she
breathed happily before starting off. "Oh, I was so happy
when I glanced over and glimpsed your name through the crowd! Of
course, I didn't need to see your name to know you were
here. I always know when you're around--I am your
girlfriend, after all!"

Anything else she
babbled after that was lost to him as he continued to stare at her.
"…Girlfriend…?" he hesitantly uttered softly to himself. He
had a girlfriend? Why wasn't this ringing any bells? His eyes
narrowed slightly as he thoroughly examined the girl before him,
finally tuning back into what she was saying.

"…but that
shouldn't be any cause for concern, Raito-kun! Raito-kun told me
not to do anything on her own without instruction, so I haven't
actually used it--Misa-Misa doesn't want to ruin Raito-kun's
chance!"

Chance at what exactly,
he wasn't sure, but he was slightly grateful to the girl. The words
Misa-Misa struck something in the back of his mind. Just like
how something nearly forgotten can be resurfaced from the brain
through a picture, memories flooded into his mind and almost
immediately after she finished speaking, he realized that the girl
was Amane Misa.

"Misa," he
calmly murmured to her, gaining her full and unwavering attention.
"You're wearing too much perfume." It was the only thing he
could think of at the moment to say. Her perfume was much, much
too strong for him to bear and he felt the need to tell her so. Misa
leaned back to look at him in faint surprise, blinking dumbly, and
Light felt the need to say something more intelligent to make up for
his ridiculous, earlier-uttered phrase.

He opened his mouth to
continue--to maybe ask what she was talking about earlier and where
she got the crazy idea that they were together--but something cold
and wet landed with a plop on his cheek and anything he had prepared
to say died on his tongue before it was even born. Curiously, he
glanced up as another splash of cold landed on his other cheek.

Rain, he thought
subconsciously. And with that thought, a downpour started. The water
fell so heavily from the sky it looked more like someone was dumping
a huge bucket of water over Tokyo rather than droplets. Everyone on
the streets immediately froze in the commute and scurried about for
some shelter. They resembled ants with the way they were running
blindly for the first dry spot they saw, and Light found he didn't
want to resemble an ant for some reason. So, instead, he took
advantage of the mini panic, turned and slipped through the thinning
crowds, back in the direction he came from.

Somewhere behind him,
he could faintly hear Misa panicking--"Misa-Misa lost sight of
Raito-kun! Raito-kun? Raito-kun, can you hear me!"--but ignored
it. Instead, he continued back in the direction of the hotel. He
couldn't see more than two or three feet in front of him through
the thick rain, but he decided that it didn't matter. There weren't
going to be any people to worry about running into and the traffic
would definitely be slower with the intense storm. He knew he was
already soaked all the way through his clothes to his skin. He also
didn't care at that moment. For some reason, he didn't feel like
running out of the rain like everyone else had instinctively done.

So, instead, he slipped
his hands in his pockets and continued on. Idly, he was thinking that
although it was a bother to be caught in the rain, at least it there
was a chance that the excess amount of perfume both Moe and Misa had
worn wouldn't be soaked into his shirt anymore.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It had taken him nearly
a full hour to shove open the doors to the hotel he and Ryuuzaki were
staying at. The glass door slowly shut behind him and he was aware
that both of the receptionists behind the check-in desk--one of them
was Moe--were looking at him oddly and he didn't blame them. Light
took a step and his shoes made a squelching noise as some of the
water that flooded his shoes was forced out.

He didn't say a word
to them as he traveled past them to the elevator in a series of
squishing noises. He didn't say a word as the elevator dinged open.
He stepped out and walked down the hallway to his hotel room--number
1473. He checked his pocket for a key but found nothing. He then
patted down his whole body, thinking that maybe it had sewn itself
somewhere on him. He found nothing. He let out a growling sigh as he
realized that Ryuuzaki had not bothered to give him a room key. His
knuckles rapped firmly on the wood of the door as he thought of all
the ways to slowly kill a certain raven-haired detective. Several
moments passed and no one answered. Growing exasperated, he called
out, "Ryuuzaki, it's me--Raito."

There was no reply.

It took him seven
seconds to realize that no one was going to answer the door. His
muscles trembled from barely suppressed frustration as he whirled and
just about stomped back to the elevator. When he was once again on
the main floor, he continued to the check-in desk where the two women
where still sitting.

Undoubtedly, as he once
again made his appearance--looking much like a drowned rat with his
drenched clothes and wind-swept, soaking hair that most likely
currently resembled short dreadlocks--both of the women were
wondering if he had the right building. He knew he looked like
something an animal chewed on and spat back out and he most likely
seemed like he was completely lost.

He stepped before
Moe--who was staring at him in a mixture of confusion and
amusement--asking, "I need. My key," he ground out. It more of an
order than a request.

Moe flicked through
something behind the desk before turning her attention back to him.
"The occupants of that room wish not to be disturbed and have
requested that I hand out absolutely no extra room keys."

Light wanted to deck
her. Really, he did. "I am an occupant," he managed to
calmly tell her in response.

Moe blinked in mild
surprise before leaning to the left and shuffling through some
papers. Finally, she turned to face him again. "Are you Yagami
Raito?" she asked in a professional voice.

"Yes, I am."

"I'll need to see
some identification then, sir, and the key is as good as yours."
She smiled at him.

Light pulled out his
sopping wallet and peeled it open. His ID card was hard to pull out,
but he managed before shoving it at her. "There it is. May I please
have the damn key now?"

Moe examined the card
before smiling at him politely, handing the card back. "I'm so
sorry, sir."

"It's quite
alright," he assured as he accepted the card.

"But I told you that
the occupants of that room didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.
You included."

"What?" he demanded
before looking down at his ID card.

He was ready to throw a
temper tantrum like a three year old would.

Gleaming back at him
from the card was the name Amagawa Kenjiro under a picture of
himself. Why the hell would Ryuuzaki give him the stupid card and
then go and enter his real name into the hotel? His eyes darkened
with frustration as he looked back up at Moe. "I'm wet," he
told her simply.

"I can see that,"
was her reply.

"I'm cold," he
continued.

"I can see why you
would be, sir."

"I'm uncomfortable
in these clothes," he continued again.

"I can understand
why."

"I need a shower."

Moe nodded. "I would,
too."

"I want. My key,"
he finished.

She shook her head.
"I'm sorry, sir. My policy says I can't give it to you--"

"Moe," he
interrupted. "I. Want. My key."

Moe's brow crinkled
as she looked down to her right breast where a shiny nametag read
Hello my name is: MEROKO and I'll be happy to help you! She
looked up at him again and inquired, "What did you call me?"

Light resisted the urge
to sigh. "Moe," he answered. "It's what you told me to call
you before your dinner break, or so you said."

Moe's--or Meroko's,
or whatever she was called--eyebrows shot up again. "You're that
hot guy from earlier?" she asked incredulously. "What happened
to you? You… sure don't look like him." Her eyes took in
his currently wild appearance.

But Light could see a
way out of this and took it. "Moe," he murmured gently. "I got
caught in the rain and I forgot my key in the room. Will you please
give me a key?" He mentally gagged at the word please.
Geniuses like him did not beg like some fool. But desperate times
called for desperate measures.

Moe leaned forward over
the desk and Light got a whiff of her perfume again and mentally
gagged once more. "I'll tell you what," she told him softly.
"If you can tell me the name of the other occupant of the room,
I'll call the room and see if they'll allow me to give you a key.
Sound fair?"

Light nodded. "It's
Ryuuzaki…" He drifted off and mentally slapped his forehead. He
had finally found a way to his room and it failed miserably.

"Ryuuzaki…?" Moe
prompted, looking for a last name.

"…That's all I
know," Light eventually grumbled.

Moe sighed. "Well,
you got the first name right. So… I guess I'll make an
exception." She smiled brightly before picking up a black, cord
phone that was on speaker phone and waited as it rang. It rang
thirteen times before someone eventually picked up.

"Hello?" Ryuuzaki
asked, tone apathetic as always.

"Ah, sir," Moe
began. "I have someone down here that is in need of a key and
wished to obtain one. Would it be alright with you if I give him
one?"

"And who would this
person be?"

"Amagawa Kenjiro,"
Moe replied instantly. "He has been asking for a key for the past
twenty minutes."

"Please give him a
key and do not keep one from him next time. Thank you. Good night."
With that, he hung up. Moe blinked in surprise before looking at
Light and grinning.

"Well, he said it was
fine, so…" She plucked out a white card key that was no bigger
than his ID and held it out for him to take. "Just so you know, my
offer from before still stands!" she called after him as he started
heading for the elevator for the second time.

Anyone he met in the
hallways was at the receiving end of his glare, especially if they
glanced over at him curiously. His clothes were freezing cold from
the air conditioning and he wanted out of them. He combed a few locks
of hair that dangled in his face, trying to make himself more
presentable. All he managed to do was split the locks into rat tails.
He decided it wasn't worth it as he slid his card through the
reader and waited for the red dot to turn green. For a second, he
thought he was going to have a stroke of bad luck and, in fact, be
holding the key to another room. But the light on the reader blinked
off before the green one illuminated and the black security box
beeped.

Light nearly ripped the
door off its hinges as he tugged it open. Almost immediately, he saw
Ryuuzaki sitting not but forty feet away from the door on a chair,
working on a laptop.

"Did you just come
in?" Light asked, forcing his tone to stay calm.

Ryuuzaki shook his head
slightly. "I've been here all night. The news broadcast that was
on earlier caught my attention. Perhaps you saw it--?" He never
finished his sentence, for quite suddenly, a fist connected his left
eye. Tiny bolts of pain sizzled at the area. Light stood, looking
down at him with a murderous look in his eyes. Ryuuzaki leaned back
and swung his leg up. It made connection with Light's chin with a
crack. Light fell over backwards, landing on his rump, rubbing
his chin idly.

"Whatever was that
for, Yagami-kun?" Ryuuzaki asked, his eyes narrowed slightly, most
likely in a mixture of confusion and anger.

"I knocked on the
door. You had to have heard me," Light growled.

"Ah, yes. I heard
that," Ryuuzaki agreed easily.

"And you didn't
answer?" the younger boy demanded hotly.

"I didn't know who
it was and I have to be careful," Ryuuzaki answered simply.

"Didn't know who
it--for crying out loud! I announced it was me!"

Ryuuzaki shrugged
before replying, "There could be many Raito's in Japan."

"With my exact
voice?"

"You should've used
the pseudonym I gave you, then," Ryuuzaki suggested. "Then I
definitely would've known it was you."

"You're a
hypocrite," Light hissed. "You entered Raito Yagami into the
system here. Why didn't you use that pseudonym then?"

"I was going to tell
you to use it as a safe word, but you left before I could tell you."
Ryuuzaki paused before removing the finger from his mouth and asking,
"And why does Yagami-kun smell like perfume?"

Light gave him a look
that could kill cats. He was cranky. He was wet. He was cold. He was
uncomfortable. He had to make two trips up to the room. He had to beg
a useless girl. He looked like he had just had a run-in with a
tornado.

He wanted a shower.

He stood up and as he
did so he felt several cold droplets of water slide down the back of
his calves. Ryuuzaki regarded Light as he turned in the direction of
the bathroom.

"Yagami-kun…"
Ryuuzaki called softly. "What happened? Did you not take my advice
on the umbrella?"

"Shut. Up."

With that as his
parting farewell, Light slammed the door to the bathroom and peeled
off his clothes--quite literally--as he took his second shower of the
day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

(1) It's what the my
help manual commonly calls my own laptop. I found it humorous, how
'bout you?

(2) -shifty eyes- Moe
Rikyo (also known as Meroko) is a character from another anime. If
you know the anime, I congratulate you. If not, that's fine, this
isn't a crossover. I just needed her for a small tidbit and didn't
feel like making an OC. So sue me--I'm tired from school and
feeling lazy. But, Moe/Meroko also seems like the type of girl who
would be a Raito fan girl. XP

---

Last
thought from Raito:

Kira,
heed my prayer: Kill a certain detective for me and I'll be your
ever-faithful servant… Signed, Raito, the one who needs you most
right now…

---

GOMENASAI! It's
been way too long, ne? I won't bore you with the details, but does
this extra long chapter make it up to you? I now have a
beta--everyone bow before the amazing Lifelong-Lemon-Lover for
being the beta of this.

Also… I know Light
seemed slightly out of character--truly, I do. (I don't mean the
punching--he would, indeed, punch Ryuuzaki as we all know.)

Alright. I'm done.
Hopefully, my wonderful reviewers are still reading this after the
three month wait. There definitely won't be such a wait for chapter
4--I guarantee it!

Please review…! I
am a review monster--feed me? I'll die without reviews! (And I give
a planet of thanks to those who reviewed chapter 2!)

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.